Are there changes you would like to see in your life but don’t know how to make them happen? Have you already tried to make a change but feel as if there is something preventing it? Perhaps it’s not knowing what the first steps should be, or perhaps it’s a memory of a past failure.

What is getting in the way of creating something new?

Usually, when we are trying to work with a problem in order to make a change, we focus on what is happening in the outside world. You may ask yourself, “What do I need to do?” And, of course, there are actions one needs to take in any given situation.

But it is difficult to accomplish something positive as long as you are acting from a place of discomfort or strain.

It may seem counter-intuitive, but in order to make way for the new, you have to be willing to connect more with what is happening now. You can’t go from here to there without acknowledging and accepting your current state.

An essential part of making change begins not with looking outside of yourself to see what needs to be done but looking within to see what needs to be cleared. Only when outer actions come from a place of inner clarity can true change occur.

We often identify with our problems.  We dwell on them.

But try to make a shift from what story you are telling yourself, to what you are feeling. What is the inner experience you are having? What is the energy behind the story?

Don’t push it away, connect with it. Be with your pain. Make room for it.

How is your body? Is it tight? Constricted? If so, how can you move in a positive direction?

Bring your attention to your body and your breath. Try to sense the internal energy at this moment. If it is tight and constricted, notice that. Don’t try to change it, or judge it, just bring your loving awareness to it. If you are having a thought, then bring your attention to that. Just observe it. As you get closer to discomfort without judging it or getting involved with it, you may find that it is ephemeral, like a cloud. You may be able to pass right through it.

As you sit and observe your thoughts and sensations, allowing everything to be as it is at this moment, you are dropping the struggle.

If you can, try to discern the space that has cleared, even it is just a small one. It is from this open space that you can find the impetus to take new actions, ones that will move you forward in your desired direction.

“We need to be willing to shift our allegiance from the familiarity with our pain and our problems and being to trust openness. Once you connect with openness, the joy of living life begins. From openness, we are truly able to create and contribute to the welfare of others.”—Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche Awakening the Sacred Body.